Fangbase - Reviews

Irving Plaza, New York City, NY

22nd October 2001

Well what can I say? It's three in the morning, I'm bruised and battered, my ears are ringing, feet are killing me... And, of course, it was all so worth it. If anybody still has any doubt wether the Damned still 'got it' or not, may I suggest you see this lineup live.

Irving Plaza is a good sized ballroom type place, complete with a balcony. Two bars, one upstairs and one downstairs, and even a small lounge on the ground level. I've been seeing shows there since I was in high school, and their sound system is always top notch. First up tonight were the Briefs. Very fun band visually, since all the members look similar to eachother. They put on a good show I must say. They sound like real rock and roll, which is a nice surprise in this day of over-produced fluff. They most definately get my seal of approval for their rockin' version of the Weirdos classic We Got The Neutron Bomb. In the time it took me to use the bathroom and get another Guinness, the Swingin' Utters hit the stage. I was really happy they played my favorites Teenage Genocide and Catastrope. This was my third or fourth time seeing them and they were really good tonight. Check out their album Streets of San Fransisco for some good '77 style punk.

As soon as they played the last note, I made my way toward the front of the stage. The place was really packed at this point and it's amazing that I was able to get right up to the silly barricade. One of the roadies broke into the bass intro for Neat Neat Neat which got us all screaming! The curtain was down and we could see all sorts of silhouettes moving about back there. Then it was time. Out of nowhere we hear some keyboard playing... wait a second! Could it be? Yes, my fellow Disciples, it was time indeed. Starting the set with Beauty Of The Beast seems quite unlikely, but it's just what they did, all the while still behind the curtain. And would you believe I spotted a few 'punk rawk' types booing? Typical. They must have been real punks, they had mohawks and bondage trousers you see. ;) Curtain opens and there are Vanian, Sensible, Patricia, Monty and Pinch in all their glory. After a quick formality or two, they slammed into Democracy? After which they relentlessly went through song after song, hardly even giving Vanian time to catch his breath it seemed! The set list was as follows:

Beauty Of The Beast
Democracy?
New Rose
Song.com
Wait For The Blackout
Would You Be So Hot...?
Plan 9 Channel 7
Amen
13th Floor Vendetta
Neverland
Absinthe
Eloise
Thrill Kill
Neat Neat Neat

Bear with me, a few observations: The new songs are brilliant live, my words probably couldn't do them justice. Song.com is a really fun sing-along type live number. Monty really ripped shit up (as us Americans say) on the solo toward the end. Make no mistake, the band should thank their lucky stars that this man is one of them now. Dave and Captain might be getting on in years but watching them perfom you'd never know it. Their respective vocals and guitar playing have only gotten better with time. And the lovely Patricia! Anybody who doubts her skills should've seen her tonight, her hands were all over that bass! Of course I've not forgotten about Pinch. He's really got a great style, never missed a beat at all. A very worthy successor to Rat. If you could do a better job, I'd like to hear it. All in all, the main set was a nice mix of old and new. Plan 9 is back to it's original arrangement (good!), Amen is a lot better live than on the record, 13th Floor sounds as good live (if not better) as the version on the Black Album, and Eloise sounded more punk rock than ever before to me. There was great psychadelic lighting for Absinthe too, perhaps adding to the beauty of the number. And speaking of psychadelic, that's just how Neat Neat Neat turned out!

Now, it is quite obvious to me that NYC loves the Damned, and while the set was great, we wanted MORE! MORE MORE! So out comes Captain, shirtless and in a pink tutu with matching pink wig. Hahaha! After a brief Happy Talk, we were treated to Disco Man, She, Love Song and Smash It Up. Highlights included Captain making fun of disco, Dave making fun of Captain for making Wot, Captain playing the solo for Love Song with the guitar behind his head, and Monty jumping about like someone who has forever left this plane of reality. Just when we thought it was over, surprise! Looking At You, which went from a total cacophony to a quiet whisper and back again. Ladies and gentlemen, the chemistry of this lineup is just what the band have needed for some time. After tonight I take even greater pride in being one of their fans.

I managed to get a camera in (down my pants, mind you) and have a whole roll of Damned pics. As soon as they're developed I'll send them to Steve Seitz for his very cool Limit Club site

Dan DePasque

Another...

On October 22, 2001, The Damned played Irving Plaza to an ecstatic Manhattan crowd; to an audience weary of calamity and ongoing "infinite justice". This would be the first time I would be in the city since the world went insane. Before September 11, the top news stories were of shark attacks, missing interns and Anne Heche.

I had no choice but to drive into the city (I'm from New Jersey, by the by); my friend Marty had a full car of Damned fans already, and the trains that go through my home town stop at midnight. So I drove. Took me an hour to make it to the George Washington Bridge, but after that the ride was pretty smooth. I never saw Manhattan with such little traffic.

I parked around the park that separates Irving Place and Lexington Ave. I had a few minutes before the doors opened, so I went to an Irish pub around the corner from the venue called Shades of Green and had dinner and a couple of Black and Tans. If you're in there, ask for Damien.

And now, the reason you been reading this...

The doors opened at 8 pm, and the crowd was more punk than goth, but if your familiar with the new album, you know it's a crowd pleaser no matter what your tastes. The opening act was the Briefs. I liked them, but my friend Marty compared them to a bad Buzzcocks pastiche, whereas I thought they were a good Knack knock-off.
Then there was the Swinging Utters, who were hard yet eclectic. One song sounded like the Pogues without the Chieftains influence, another sounded like early Social Distortion. But being an opening act for anybody was and is a thankless job.

Then the Damned came on (finally!) They opened with the closing track, "Beauty of the Beast", then the opening track, "Democracy?" Then Dave Vainian mumbled into the mike, "Is she really going out with him?", and man oh man, that got the joint jumping! The set was a mixture of old and new. A song from the new album, Wait for the Blackout. A new song, Plan 9, Channel 7. A new song, Smash it Up. They performed two encores, which included an amped-up Neat, Neat, Neat and Looking at You.

The show ended at around 12:30 am, where old and new friends gather outside or in the lobby. I was going to buy a T-shirt, but then realize that they had a better selection on this website, so I'll wait.

All in all, what did I think of the evening's entertainment?
DAMNED-TASTIC!

Mr. Barlow
10/23/01

And Another...

Hey, just saw the Damned at Irving Plaza last night, and it was a great time.

I haven't seen the band since 83,the "final, never again,we swear,"reunion shows leaving a bad taste in my mouth,a step backwards to bring Brian James back. But the new albumn is fucking AWESOME and made me excited to see the new line up.

The first band,The Briefs, are GREAT.They are punk circa winter 78 and lots of fun.They all play thier asses off the entire set, dress the part, have short catchy songs, The Weirdos, Dickies, Heartbreakers came to mind. Do not miss these guys, its a great start to the night. Many people besides myself bought thier cd's.

The 'Swinging Udders', on the other hand, were boring.There is no other way to put it.They reminded me of CH. 3 with Jimmy Pursey fronting. And since I think Jimmy Pursey is a buffoon, it was not a good sign.They weren't bad, they just were blah.The other groups seemed to think they were great guys, and maybe they are, but they did nothing for me. Sorry guys.

The Damned came on to "The Beauty Of The Beast", and when the line came about the curtain being drawn the curtain opened and and they went into "Democracy". They played 9 songs from the new album, and 10 or 11 favorites,although nothing off Strawberries,and no "Curtain Call".

The band was really tight - Captain and Pinch were especially impressive, and Dave's voice was great.The stage clothes were the same ones that have been posted elsewhere, and those glow in the dark devil horns on Patricia are too cool. Relaxed, loose and really seeming to enjoy themselves, it was a great show that points to a great future for this band - not living in the past, they are looking ahead.

I know they never went away, really, but I am so fucking glad THEDAMNED ARE BACK!
I am looking forward to the next album and tour with great anticipation.

John